Titans quarterback Steve McNair will need to keep his emotions under control early.

The day before the Super Bowl, the players attended a morning meeting, the next-to-last meeting the coaches will have with their teams. They go over all the special teams, the kicking game, and any special plays they might run. Both teams canceled practices Saturday due to the weather, but on a normal Saturday, they would work on the two-minute drill.

The players also will learn if they will be substitutes on the field-goal team or the punt team in case of injury. Who is on the "hands" team in case of an onside kick? Who backs up in case someone gets hurt? Who is the next guy to go on? When teams must burn a timeout because they have 10 men on the field or are penalized for having 12 men, that comes from a lack of attention Saturday. I don't think that will happen to the Rams or the Titans.

After practice, the players can do what they want for the rest of the day. Like many players, I am an extremely superstitious person. I really started getting into my superstitious routine Saturday night. Most of the superstitions are still with me today as I prepare for big events. They might not make any sense to anyone else, but whose superstitions really do?

On Saturday night before my first Super Bowl, Debbie Reynolds owned a hotel outside of Pasadena, and we were all sequestered there from the game's hype and pageantry. After I checked into the hotel, I had to have a banana split before I went to bed. And if the hotel didn't serve them, I would go down to the kitchen and have a makeshift banana split. I was that adamant about it.

Here it was, the night before the Super Bowl; I had to call somebody. So I called Burt Reynolds. He and I had developed a relationship, which began as he was filming the movie "Best Friends" with Goldie Hawn in Washington, D.C. I had always wanted to meet him. I found out where they were filming the movie, I got through the security guard, and I went to his trailer. I shook Burt's hand and told him how much I enjoyed his work. He's a big sports fan, having played football at Florida State. From there, we built a relationship that has lasted almost 20 years. We are still close friends today.

Burt and I talked for more than an hour on the phone about a lot of things: His career, the game, the Super Bowl experience. We had a really nice, relaxing visit. The conversation was something to occupy time. I'm the type of person who likes to keep busy. It was a quiet time, so the phone call filled up some space for me.

I think back to last year's Super Bowl when Eugene Robinson was arrested Saturday night. That unfortunate incident was purely selfish.

One thing that teams can't prepare for is the adrenaline rush they will feel. The players can't practice for it. When you get excited, suddenly you get an adrenaline deficiency. A tremendous amount of fatigue hits you. The players have to be careful. What happens after the first eight minutes of the game? Who will have bouncy feet and be fresh? Who will look like they are in cement?

The early part of Super Bowl XXXIV will be interesting. Steve McNair has proven in the playoffs he can be a nervous player. He struggled against Buffalo and in the first quarter against Indianapolis. Early, he will look a little more nervous than Kurt Warner. It will be important that McNair settles down.

I'm curious to see how successful Warner will be. Warner is totally focused on the job at hand; you could see it in his eyes all week. Warner said last week that his family gives him plenty of space the day or two before the game. It's great that Warner's family, having gone through all the adversity and trying times, understands that football is his job and that he needs to get ready.

This game is the story of two fairy tales: the Kurt Warner story and the Titans story. There is one man's perseverance, a player who capitalized on an opportunity. Then, there are the Titans, a team that probably shouldn't be here. But they got the Immaculate Deception against Buffalo, and then a replay against Indianapolis overturned a huge kick return that could have changed the outcome of the game.

I spoke to Rev. Jesse Jackson at breakfast this morning, and I said, "Tennessee could have played Jacksonville on the USS Kennedy. They could beat them anywhere." They could play each other in Tokyo or Rhode Island -- it doesn't matter. The Jaguars haven't figured out a way to beat them.